absterdam



(No Model.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 J ABSTERDAM.

AUTOMATIC TBLBGRAP.

Patented Aug. 1, Y1882.

By uls' Aflorney l' (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2,

' J. ABSTBRDAM.

AUTOMATIG TBLEGRAPH.

No'. 261,975, .PatentedAug. 1, .18812;

mr o Ooo 01o ooo (No Model.)

OOO OA 'Illllllllllllll OOOO .7 OOO O OOO O y 'i l J.h ABSTBRDAM.

AUTOMATIC TBLEGRAPH.

4 sheets-sheet 3.

Patented Aug. 1, 1882.'

N. Farias. Phnwumogmpher. wmingmn, D. c

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Smet 4.

J.- ABSTERDAM. AUTOMATIC TELEGRAPH.

110.261,97. 1 Patented Aug. 1, 18,82

l UNITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ABSTERDAM, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OE TVVO-THIRlDS TO LOUIS Gr. DREYFUS, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC TELEGRAPH.

SPECIFICATION forming'part of Letters Patent No. 261,975, dated August 1, 1882.

Application filed December 21, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN `nBs'rEiaDltM, of thecity, county, and `State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Telcgraphs, of which the following is a specitication.

y My improvements have chiefly reference to that portion of apparatus used in electric telegraphy which is employed to transmit signals or messages. As the transmitting instrumentality I make use of a iiexible, cushion-like, pliable or elastic contact wheel or roller, which runs against or in connection with another wheel or drum, between which and the contact wheel or roller is intended to pass a-perforated or otherwise suitably-prepared strip, which, as

"it moves along, will permit the contact-roller intermittently and at proper intervals to have electrical contact with the drum.

It has been usual heretofore to pass the transmitting perforated strip between a drum or large roller on the one side and a small vibratory spring presser-roller, or a stud or stylus, or the like, lon the other side, which will make contact with the large roller or drum through the perforations' in the paper as the latter moves along. Such contacts4 are perhaps sufficiently good when the perforated strip moves only at a moderate speed; but the moment the strip moves fast, as it must in rapid telegraphing, the contact is not uniform, and consequently the marks on the receivingstrip are confused and blurred for the reason that the devices heretofore usedfin order to make contact with the drum, must drop or fall through each perforation of the transmittingstrip, which, to make good contact, requires time; and when the perforated strip is caused tov travel very fast the stud or roller, wire stylus, spring, or other instrumentality heretofore employed to make contact through the perfoations vibrates rapidly, moving up and down in a series of leaps or jumps and following oftentimes an irregular or zigzag line, resulting in only partial and imperfect contacts, which result in the reproduction of indistinct and oftentimes unintelligible marks or signals at the receivingstation. In my improved transmitter, however, the contact is made by two rollers having (one or both) elastic cushion-like metallic conducting-faces, which bear upon the strip passing between them and press or bulge through the perforations of the strip, so as to make contact with one another, and there is thus no leaping or jumping or vibratory movement of the parts; but the motion is even, continuous, and such as would be produced by runningtwo rollers one against the other, and I thus make a good, firm, and complete contact under all circumstances, no matter at what speed the rollers travel, with the result of producing equally good marks or signals at the receiving-station.

There is the further disadvantage attending the use of the levers, springs, or wire styluses or pencils heretofore used that in constantly rubbing against the surface of the perforated strip they are apt to gather dirt or lint on their contact ends, which prevents their making good contact. No such liability exists when my improved transmitting-roller is used.

I am aware, also, thatmit has heretofore been proposed to employ a contact or cireuit-closin g wheel or roller provided with yielding points, such as outwardly-spring-pressed pins projecting through and beyond its periphery; but the same difculty ofmaking good contacts is experienced with such a roller as with the devices just mentioned. The pins or projections, which are necessarily placed at intervals from one another, cannot always register properly with the perforations in the strip, and thus the pins do notalways make fullcontact throughout the length ot' the respective perforations.

Some contacts are longer or shorter than oth-- ers, instead of being uniform, and consequently the telegraphic marks4 which are registered thereby are not uniform. Indeed, it happens in practice,when the transmitteris moving rapidly, that some perforations of the strip passing under the circuit-closing wheel are notentered at all by the pins or projections. Consequently there is not contact where there should be, and the record on the receiving-strip is defective and worthless. In my improved contact roller or wheel, on the contrary, the acting face-or periphery is elastic, iiexible, cushionlike, and as smooth as skill can make it, particular care being taken to avoid any projections or points extending beyond the face of roo the roller, the object being to obtain contact by the face itself, and not by pins or like instrumentalities projecting from the face.

The nature of my improvement and the manner in which the saine is or may be carried into effect can, however, best be explained and understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 is a plan, of a transmittingapparatus for rapid telegraphing, made in accordance with myinvention. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 represent in plan and cross-section, respectively, some ofthe forms ot' rollers with elastic cushion-like peripheral faces that maybe used under my invention. Fig. 5ab represents a modification in which both the transmitting-drum and the contact roller are provided with elastic cushion-.like faces. Figs. 6 to 9, inclusive, will be hereinafter particularly referred to.

A represents a rotary metallic drum, supported in bearings in the standard E and. designed to be electrically connected with one pole ot'a battery through that standard and the conducting-wire a and binding-post b. Placed against the drum, and so as to run by contact therewith, is the contact wheel or roller` I3, hereinbefore referred to, which has its bearings in a forked arm or beam, G, pivoted at c to a standard, F. The beam is connected to a thumb-screw, d, by a stift' spring, e, and by means of this screw the beam can be moved to cause the roller to press against the drum as forcibly as desired. Another thumb-screw, f, is provided, by means ot' which the beam can be moved in the opposite direction whenever for any purpose it is desired to removethe roller from contact with the drum. The roller is electrically connected with the other pole of the battery through the parts F G and the conducting-wire g and binding-post h.

The drum A may be rotated by any suitable power. In the present case it is rotated by hand from the driving-Wheel C, supported on a standard, H, and provided with a crankhandle, i, and connected with the drum by a belt or chain which passes from it to apulley, I, on the axis ot' the drum. The crank-handle is provided with a knob, j, of some suitable non-conducting material.

I) is a spool or reel, on which the prepared perforated strip is wound, and O is a pressureroller, which presses the strip against the drum. The strip is represented at r, and the direction of its movement is indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1.

The parts are supported on a suitable base, M, of wood or other suitable non-conducting material, and are suitably insulated from one another at proper points. The apparatus is also to be provided and connected with all necessary switches, keys, and calling-instruments, which, however, I have not deemed it necessary to represent in the drawings.

Having given a general description of the apparatus, I now proceed toY describe more particularly the contact roller or wheel B.

.A is put in rapid rotation.

The roller shown in side elevation in Fig. 1 is also represented in plan and section in Fig.

3. It consists of fine metallic conducting- 7o wires 7c, which are embedded and thickly and closely set in a tin, lead,`or solder annular base,

l, and clasped laterally by the metallic side disks, m, whose diameter is such as to permit the wire ends to project beyond them, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3. I thus obtain in effect a wire wheel whose periphery is elastic, yielding, and cushion-like. The wheel is provided with a suitable axle, n.

In Fig. 4 is represented in plan and section 8o a contact-roller, the body of which is composed of a sot't vulcanized-rubber disk, o, set on an axle and clasped laterally between brass disks i", of somewhat smaller diameter, and encircled by a close-fitting, thin, pliable metal- 8 5 lic ring or tire, p, in lieu of which a tine, flat, closely woven or linked metallic chain or ribbon may be used. Electrical connection is made between the ring or tirep and the hubs or shoulders ofthe disks r by wires s.

In lieu ofa tire such as shown at p, I can employ one such as shown in plan and crosssection at t in Fig. 5, of a shape to tit not only upon the periphery but also upon the sides of the rubber disk o. The clasping-disks r in this modification are but little more than hubs.

The forms of contact-roller just described serve to indicate the many ways in which the roller maybe made, the essential feature in every case being that the roller shall have an roo acting-face that is inherently elastic, pliable or flexible, and cushion-like, so that it may protrude through the perforations of the strip, in order to make contact with thc drum on the other side.

The mode of operation of the transmitter, supposing it to be connected up properly to line, is as t'ollows: rIlhe perforated strip is wound upon the reel D and the unpert'orated end r one side and the contact-roller B and pressureroller O on the other side. The receivingstation is then signaled that all is ready, and on receiving the return signal to start the drum By the action of the wheels A B O the strip is caused to move with corresponding rapidity in the direction of the arrows. Each ltime a perforated part of the strip passes into the bite of the contactroller and the drum metallic contact between 12o these two parts is made and the electric current passes to line, when the battery is connected with the line and earth for that purpose, as it would be were a perforated strip, such as shown at y, Fig. 6, used. In case such a strip be employed, contact made through its perforations will send the current to line. The cushion-like elastic contactroller in passing over the perforations makes long contacts with those perforations grouped or placed near 13o to one another, for the face of the roller makes contact through the perforation in advance before quitting the one in rear; but in passing over single or more widel y separated perforations `it makes but short contacts. Theresult at the receiving-station is that short 'contacts produce dots' and long contacts dashes. Thus a transmitting-strip perforated as indicated in 5 Fig. 6 will cause the production of characters suchasshown on thestripy,Fig. 6 5 but when the arrangement of the battery-connections is such that both its poles are connected to earth when the roller B and drum A make contact, and

1o that no current passesto line until this contact is broken, then a. perforated strip such as shown at w or z, Fig. 7, should be used. In

these strips the imperforate spaces between the single or grouped perforations produce i5 dashes or dots, according to the spacing, as indicated at m, Fig. 7.

My contact-roller can be used with all perforated strips ordinarily used in telegraphy, and will make solid positive contacts through the perforations, no matter at hat speed the perforated strip travels.` It can also be used with good effect in cases where the message, instead of being perforated, is written or painted with a non-conducting ink'or paint or varnish on aconducting-strip or upon a metallicdrum or plate.

Fig. 8 represents diagrammatically the arrangement of line and battery connection last above referred to. B T is theline-battery. S is the sending and R is the receiving stations, and L is the line. P is a chemical recordinginstrument, of which D is the metallic drum, connected to earth at E', and Z is the stylus, the point of which is pressed against the chemically -prepared paper m by the spring d. The drum A of my transmitter is connected to earth at E, the pole of the battery is connected to the contact-roller B, and .the pole to the transmitting-drum and earth. With this battery-connection the operation is as follows: So long as the drum A and roller B make electrical contact the electric current will pass from the pole of the battery through wires l and 2, this arrangement operating, under the 45 circumstances, somewhat similar to a shunt. When, however, metallic contact between B and A is broken, the current passes to line, to the receiving-station, and then passes through the recordinginstrument to earth.

When employing the arrangement just described I insert in the line the additional batteries that are necessary to a long line, and in order to better discharge the line or stop the current after each pulsation I insert an earth- 55 connection,H', (which may be called an artificial leakage,) in which is placed an adjustable rheostat, I', of high resistance, and I may also insert in the line near the receivingfinstrument a small battery, which will produce 6o acounter-currentsufficientlystrongtocutshort the passage ot" any tailing current from the transmitting end.

When it is desired to telegraph by the double-current system, by alternate positive and negative currents or pulsations, (in which event `the strip is perforated with two or more rows of connection.

Under my invention it is not necessary that the receiving and transmitting apparatus should move at the same rate of speed. I sometimes run the transmitter from ten to fifty per centum faster than the register.

The transmitting-drum A may be made with a exible, cushion like, pliable, elastic, or yielding metallic face in a similar manner to the contactroller B, as indicated diagrammaticallyin Fig. 5a.

I n lieu ot' and as the equivalent of the drum, I may use a bed-plate (provided, if desired, with an elastic or yielding lnetallic face) on which the paper strip can be secured by suitable fastening. The bed-plate may be straight or curved, and can be .movable or not, as 9o desired. A convenient arrrangement is to have the bcd stationary and make the transmitting-roller travel over the face of the bedplate or against the perforated strip thereon.

Having described my improvement, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

l. In an electro-telegraphic transmitter, the combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a contact-roller and a drum or its equivalent, formed one or both with an elastic, flexible, and cushion-like acting-face, as described.

`2. In an electro-telegraphic transmitter, a contact roller or wheel having an elastic, ie'xible or pliable, and cushion-like acting-face,

TOO

IOS

Vsubstantially as and for the purposes hereinbe- JOHN ABSTJERDAM.

IIO

IIS

` Witnesses:

F. H. CoNNoTH, FRED. A. LEAvrrr. 

